


The Dark I Know Well

by Lampshadez



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-06-24
Packaged: 2018-07-15 22:31:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7241407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lampshadez/pseuds/Lampshadez
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Willa takes off with Bobo at the end of episode 12, her sisters and their partners go after her.  What happens when they find her at the border of the Ghost River Triangle with Bobo?  No way everybody makes it out of this alive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“I know that that was an important life-and-death kind of situation, but I did kind of enjoy punching a few of these fine Purgatory citizens.”

Dolls laughed a bit as he got into the car.  “I know you did.”

“And running from the cops is always a good time,” Wynonna said, buckling up.

Dolls quickly peeled out.  “Having fun being a wanted woman, are you?”

“You know it,” Wynonna said.  Her phone rang and she picked it up.  “Waverly?  What the hell do you mean you lost Willa?”

**-WE-**

Waverly was in her car, driving while also on the phone with Wynonna.  She knew it was unsafe but it was definitely not the most unsafe thing in town that day.

“I know, I’m sorry,” Waverly said.  “I got distracted by…there was a distraction.  I looked away for a second and she was gone.  Wynonna, I think she went to Bobo.”

Waverly shook her head at her sister’s response.

“Wynonna, I know, I know you don’t want to think Willa is up to something,” Waverly said.  “Fine, maybe she didn’t choose to go with him.  But he’s our best bet.  I’m headed to the edge of the triangle, I’m going to go down the perimeter.  You and Dolls take the north, okay?”

Wynonna agreed and ended the call.  Waverly sighed and dialed another number.

“Hey,” Waverly said.  “Can you get away?  I need you.”

**-WE-**

“When Wynonna and Agent Dolls left, they were headed north,” Nicole said.  “Why are we headed south?”

Waverly cleared her throat.  “Well, you see, we’re not getting Wynonna…”

“Waverly!” Nicole protested.  “Nedley only let me leave because I promised I’d get Wynonna into protective custody.”

“Did you really think that would work?” Waverly asked.  “You think Wynonna is going to feel safe when she’s all locked up?”

Nicole had the decency to look a bit ashamed.  She knew Wynonna’s past, and she was starting to consider Wynonna a friend, or at least not an enemy.  Either way, she knew that Wynonna did not like being locked up, and she deserved better.

“No,” Nicole admitted.  “But there’s a price on her head now.  We have to do something.”

“We are.”

Nicole waited for an explanation, but none came.

“Alright, what the hell is going on?” Nicole asked.  “Seriously.  You’ve essentially just kidnapped a police officer and you’re aiding a fugitive.”

“What, you’re going to arrest me?”  Waverly’s tone wasn’t entirely joking.  There was also this tension there between them, the unresolved tension that came with Waverly, a civilian, being involved in things that Nicole, a police officer, should theoretically know about, or at the very least felt that she had a right to know about.

But they weren’t just a civilian and a police officer.  They never were, not to each other.  Waverly had managed to avoid the issue when she got shot, offering the explanation that people came for Dolls and the Marshals were handling it, placing the whole issue entirely out of Nicole’s eager hands.

“Waverly.”  Nicole sounded a bit heartbroken.  This was beyond her innate curiosity that drove her to be a cop, this was beyond her desire to know what the hell was happening in this weird little town.  It was all of that, still, but it was also the enormity of the situation.  It was that a federal agent from another country operating in the town but choosing not to use local police officers.  It was that this agent had deputized basically an entire civilian family and had access to intel about other civilians that the cops could never get any charges to stick to.  It was all weird and unsettling and set off so many alarm bells in Nicole’s analytical mind.  And then, there was the fact that Waverly had been lying about it all, or at least keeping Nicole in the dark about it, for their whole relationship so far.

“Come on,” Nicole continued.  “Bobo Del Rey just got the whole town involved.  I am responsible for this town, you need to let me know what the hell is going on.  I can help.”

Waverly still looked a bit unsure.

“Waverly, let me help you.”

Waverly snuck a quick glance at Nicole.  She looked so sincere and determined.  She wanted to help the town and the Earps and Black Badge and she wanted to know everything.

Waverly never really felt bad for keeping Nicole in the dark, but she was maybe starting to.  So, she shut that down real quick.

“Okay,” Waverly said.  She took a deep breath.  “It all started with Wyatt.”

**-WE-**

“Demons,” Nicole said.  “Demons from hell are terrorizing your family and this town.”

“Yep,” Waverly said.

“And only Wynonna’s gun can kill them.”

“Send them back to hell, yeah,” Waverly filled in.  She smacked the steering wheel.  “Shit, Willa has Peacemaker.”

Nicole was about to respond when suddenly there was a loud bang! and the car jerked out of Waverly’s control. 

“Get down!” Nicole yelled, reaching so that she was over Waverly and also controlling the wheel.  She steered the car into the side of the road and pulled the emergency brake.

“Nicole…”

“Stay in the car,” Nicole said, removing her gun from its holster and opening the door, standing herself behind it.  “Call Wynonna, calls Dolls, and stay down.”

“Who the hell is out there?” Waverly asked, staying down.

Nicole fired a few shots through the gap between the open door and the car.  “Willa.”

**-WE-**

“Welcome to the big leagues, officer!” Bobo called to Nicole.  “You know, I don’t appreciate being shot at.”

“Right back at you.”

With a movement of his hand, Bobo ripped the car door off its hinges, from several hundred feet away.  Nicole was left exposed.

“Let’s cut the shit, shall we?” Bobo said.  “I want Wynonna.”

“I don’t have her.”

“I know you called her,” Bobo yelled.  “Didn’t you, Waverly?  Why don’t you come out and join us?”

Nicole shot a glance toward Waverly and a little shake of her head.  Waverly shook her head back and got out of the car, hands raised.

“Wynonna’s on her way.”

“Great,” Bobo said.  “You don’t mind waiting for a bit, do you, baby?” he said to Willa.

“No problem.”

Willa had Peacemaker pointed at Nicole, but she moved it toward Waverly.

“Here’s how this is going to work, so that we’re all clear,” Bobo said.  “If you try to shoot at me, I will have her shoot Waverly.  So I suggest you put your gun down, officer.”

“Why are you waiting?” Waverly called, not really having a problem anymore with being brazen.  “Why wait for Wynonna?  You have Willa, you have Peacemaker.  You’ve won.  Just go.”

“What is a victory if the losers don’t see it?” Bobo asked.  “This was supposed to be easy.  This was supposed to happen fifteen years ago and then Wynonna Earp screwed it all up.  She shot your daddy, remember?  She let them take Willa, she left you.  I remember you telling me all about then when you were younger.  Remember when I was your only friend?”

“You’re a piece of shit, Bobo,” Waverly countered.  “So, what, you want to drag Wynonna all the way out here just to have her watch you cross the line?”

“Yes,” Bobo said.  “Then, I’m going to kill every last one of you.  Without the heir, without your silly little gun, you can’t stop me.  You Earps have been hunting us for too long.  It’s about time we evened out the playing field.”

“I bet that’s what Constance Clootie thought, huh?” Waverly asked.  “Or any of the other piece of shit revenants we’ve sent back to hell where they belonged?  Because that’s where you’re going, Bobo.  It may not be today or tomorrow or the next day, but I promise you, Bobo Del Rey, we are going to send you back to hell.”

Bobo turned slightly at Willa and nodded.  She fired at Waverly, who cried out and hit the ground, clutching her arm.

“I’d love to see you try.”                                                       

**-WE-**

Dolls parked his car near Waverly’s, and came out gun drawn, stood behind his door like Nicole had been.  Wynonna ran out and ran to Waverly, who was calling to Willa, and appeared to have been doing so for a while.

“This isn’t you, Willa!” Waverly said, back on her feet.  “You’re one of us, not one of them.  Don’t do this.”

“I shot you,” Willa replied, simply.

“He made you do it,” Waverly said.  “It’s…it’s fine.  It’s happened before.”

“What, an Earp shooting anther Earp?” Willa asked.  “Hello Wynonna.”

“That’s not exactly what I meant…” Waverly muttered.

Wynonna looked up from Waverly with a steely glare.  “Willa.”  Her voice didn’t match her look.  She looked beyond pissed that Waverly had been hurt, but her voice showed her concern for Willa.

“Wynonna Earp.”  Bobo grinned.  Wynonna hated how he said her name.  “The guest of honor.”

“You wanted me dead or alive, right?” Wynonna called.  “If it’s all the same to you, I think I’d rather stay alive.”

“I don’t care what you want,” Bobo said.  “I’ve wanted for decades to leave this damn triangle.  And now I can, and you’re going to watch me.”

“What, do you want me to take commemorative pictures, too?” Wynonna called.  She turned to Waverly again and looked her over.  “Are you alright?”

Waverly nodded.  “Is there a plan?”

Wynonna didn’t nod, she didn’t shake her head.  She just looked at Waverly with an expression of so much pain.  “I’m so sorry, baby girl.”

“What?”

Wynonna kissed Waverly’s head then started walking toward Bobo.

“Wynonna, no,” Waverly breathed.  She turned toward Dolls and saw that he wouldn’t look at her.  He just stared forward, eyes on Wynonna, his jaw clenched.

“I think you’re missing some friends, right?” Wynonna called to Bobo.  “Hate for you to cross the line alone.  It can get lonely out there in the big wide world.”

“You’d know, right?”  Bobo shot back.  “After all these years, I’m finally getting out.  There’s no way I’m going alone.  My boys are coming, we’re going to raise hell all over the world.  Your sister here is coming.”

Bobo put an arm around Willa’s waist and Wynonna felt sick.

“And you’re coming, Wynonna,” Bobo said.  “We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

“You definitely do,” Wynonna said.  “What are you going to do when you get to the other side?  Buy a new coat, hopefully?”

Meanwhile, Dolls was moving toward Waverly, his gun still pointed out at Bobo.

“That’s cute,” Bobo said.  “Let’s see how many jokes you're making when I get across the line.”

Wynonna scoffed.  “You’re not getting across the line.”

Bobo laughed.  “What, these three are going to stop me?”  With another hand motion, the guns in Dolls’ and Nicole’s hands flew several yards from them.  “If anyone moves, I shoot Wynonna now, understand?”

Dolls put his hands up but still moved toward Waverly.

“Dolls, you better have a plan,” Waverly said.

“There is a plan,” Dolls said.  “Is your car okay?  I saw the tire’s shot out but there are squad cars a couple miles south, waiting for you.  You can make it that far?”

“Dolls, I am not going anywhere-.”

“I know,” Dolls said.  “Not right now.  But there will be a moment when it will be very clear that you and Officer Haught need to get the hell out of here.  Is your car alright?”

“I’m not going anywhere!” Waverly was still speaking in a hushed tone, like Dolls, but that one was a bit more forceful.

“If shit goes sideways you can not be here,” Dolls said.  Waverly looked at him, still defiant but growing worried at how adamant he was.  “If shit goes sideways, we need to make sure there’s an heir.  So, you need to leave.”

Waverly’s jaw dropped.  “Wynonna’s going to make it out of this.”

Dolls smiled softly.  “Yes.”  They could both tell he wasn’t sure, but he went to walk away.

“No,” Waverly said, grabbing his arm.  He looked at her.  “Wynonna is making it out of this.  We’re not losing her again.”

Dolls nodded.  “Wynonna will make it out of this.”  He sounded like he meant it that time, and Waverly let him go.

“Willa, please,” Wynonna said, now close enough to Willa and Bobo that Waverly could barely hear her.  “Please, come with me.  I know you remember us.  Please, come back with us.  Don’t do this.”

“I remember you?” Willa asked.  “I remember you shooting Daddy.  I remember Waverly hating me.  I remember Daddy drinking all the time and when he wasn’t drinking, training me until I was shooting revenants in my sleep.  I remember Mom leaving.  I remember all of you stopped looking for me.  That is what you are to me.”

“Please,” Wynonna said.  She heard cars approaching and looked over her shoulder and saw trucks full of revenants coming.  She was running out of time.  Her heart was pounding.  “Please don’t do this, Willa.  You can come back with us.  It can be okay.  We can make you better, we can help you remember the good things.  We can do good things.”

Willa shook her head.  “No,” she said.  “I choose Bobo.”

“Please,” Wynonna said.  Her eyes were full of tears, her voice was cracking.  “Willa, please.”

Bobo laughed.  “We’ve gotten to the begging portion of the evening early.  Boy, am I going to love hearing that more often.”

“No, Wynonna,” Willa said simply.

Tears fell down Wynonna’s face.  She didn’t wipe them off.  She looked resolute as she walked toward Willa.

Waverly saw Wynonna near Willa and open her arms to her.  She heard Wynonna say something, but didn’t know what exactly it was.  It was enough to get Willa to warm up to her a bit, though.  She saw her two older sisters hug and was a bit in shock as she stood there, only hearing the sound of her own heart pounding.  She saw Wynonna reach into her jacket pocket.

Then she heard the gunshot.

She watched Willa crumple to the ground and Wynonna swiftly, with rapid and expert precision, take Peacemaker from Willa’s lifeless hand and shoot Bobo Del Rey in the head.

Waverly heard someone scream, then a second later realized it was herself who screamed.  She tried to run forward but felt someone hold her back.  She swung wildly, not caring about her injured arm and definitely not caring about whoever was holding her.

“Waverly!  We need to go!” Nicole yelled, wrapping her up and shoving her in the car.  “Baby, please, get in the car!”

Waverly registered that it was Nicole and she stopped resisting.  She stopped doing anything, she was just dead weight that Nicole practically threw into the car.  She managed to get Waverly into the passenger seat and Nicole got in the drivers seat, quickly buckling Waverly in before peeling out.

Waverly didn’t take her eyes off Wynonna and Willa until the car was turned around, and then she only stared straight ahead.

The second the shot when off, Dolls got back into his car and started driving toward Wynonna.  He reached her and jumped out of the car.

She was sat on the ground, holding Willa’s body, Wynonna’s gorgeous red dress stained by her sister’s blood.

“I’m so sorry, Willa.”  She was crying, hard.  She couldn’t see, with all the tears in her eyes.  Tears were running down her cheeks and she didn’t care to stop them.  “God, I am so sorry.”

“Wynonna,” Dolls said gently.  He put a hand on her shoulder and she only cried harder.  “We need to go.”

She cried, not moving, not doing anything but looking at Willa.

That only lasted a few moments, though, until there was an explosion in the distance, right under several of the trucks that were headed towards Wynonna and Dolls.

“Doc does love his dynamite,” Dolls said.

Wynonna looked at him.

“We need to go,” he repeated, in the softest tone she’d ever heard him use.  He gave her and hand and helped her up, then picked up Willa’s body and carried it to the car.  Wynonna sat in the backseat with Willa and they drove off.

**-WE-**

Nicole persuaded Nedley that protective custody was not the best option for Wynonna.  She got him to agree to an armed guard at their house, which would be Nicole.  Nedley had been hesitant to that idea at first, but Nicole did not back down.

So, somehow they made it back to the Earp homestead.  It was the safest place in town, since revenants couldn’t get on the land.

Nicole and Waverly had to pick up Doc from their rendezvous point after he set off the dynamite, and get Waverly’s arm bandaged up, so they were home after Wynonna and Dolls.

Dolls came to the car when Nicole pulled into the homestead.

He nodded toward Waverly.  “She’s…they’re in the car.”

Waverly nodded and as soon as Nicole parked the car, went over to Dolls’ car.

Dolls looked at Doc.  “Come on, there’s shovels in the barn.”

**-WE-**

The door on Wynonna’s side of the car was open.  Waverly walked up and saw Wynonna with Willa’s head on her lap.

“Wynonna…” Waverly breathed.  She didn’t know what to say.  She didn’t want to look at Willa, she didn’t want to see anything.  Looking at Willa was just impossible, and looking at Wynonna broke Waverly’s heart.  Wynonna looked so…broken.  She wasn’t actively crying anymore, it was more like it just seemed like a permanent state.  Tears fell sporadically and her face was wet with them.

Wynonna inhaled deeply and shakily, then turned in Waverly’s direction but not completely at Waverly.  “No one shoots Earps but me, right?”

Her voice was cold and hard and indicative of just how damn broken she felt.

It was enough to break Waverly.  She let out a sob and put her head on Wynonna’s shoulder.  She finally mustered the courage to look at Willa and looked down, then fell to her knees.  They stayed like that for a while, Waverly kneeling on the ground with her head against Wynonna’s leg and Willa’s head.

**-WE-**

Dolls, Doc, and Nicole stood a few yards back from the spot where Willa was buried, intently watching their loved ones mourn their sister.  The three of them had no idea what to do with themselves, they all wanted to be near but didn’t know how to help.  The pain was so palpable and it was everywhere, every single one of them felt it.  It was almost unbearable, but it was made just bearable by the fact that they were all there.

Wynonna and Waverly stood at the end of the grave, just inches away from the freshly-packed dirt.  They stood in silence, Wynonna with an empty stare and Waverly sniffling and wiping a tear every few moments.

“You are so _brave,_ Wynonna,” Waverly said finally.  She didn’t really look at her, either.  It felt wrong to look away from Willa’s grave, somehow.  “I’m not sure I could’ve done that.”

“You wouldn’t have,” Wynonna said, meaning it entirely differently than how Waverly meant it.

“You had to do it,” Waverly said.  “You didn’t have a choice.”  She took a deep breath.  “It was the right thing to do.”  That was probably the hardest thing Waverly’s ever had to say.

Tears spilled from Wynonna’s eyes and she quickly wiped them away.  “Yeah,” she said, so soft it was almost a whisper.

Waverly put her head on Wynonna’s shoulder.  “I love you, Wynonna.  I’m sorry you had to do this.”

Wynonna rested her cheek against Waverly’s head.  “I love you, too, Waverly.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is an AU of the previous chapter, with everything being the same until Wynonna and Dolls arrive at Waverly and Nicole. So everything before that in the first chapter is the same (and therefore not repeated), and everything after that is AU and therefore has a different ending. So, enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, this is an AU of the last chapter, so heads up on that.

Dolls parked his car near Waverly’s and came out gun drawn, stood behind his door like Nicole had been.  Wynonna ran out and ran to Waverly, who was calling to Willa and appeared to have been doing so for a while.

“This isn’t you, Willa!” Waverly said, back on her feet.  There was dried blood streaking her arm, with fresh blood streaming down over that.  It wasn’t a lot, she’d been grazed again, but it was a steady flow.  She could feel the pain but it felt like an afterthought compared to everything that was going on.  “You’re one of us, not one of them.  Don’t do this.”

“I shot you,” Willa replied, simply.

Wynonna looked Waverly’s arm up and down, taking it in, and she felt the breath leave her chest.  Willa _shot_ Waverly.  Willa was a great shot, and if she had aimed to kill Waverly, she would’ve.  They all knew this.  But Wynonna wasn’t about to give Willa any credit for that.  She shot at Waverly.

“He made you do it,” Waverly said.  There was something in her voice that Wynonna recognized, having heard it used on herself.  It wasn’t exactly forgiving, but more appeasing.  Waverly was trying to say whatever she could to calm the situation down, to get Willa back.  To stop her.  She didn’t exactly mean it.  “It’s…it’s fine.  It’s happened before.”

“What, an Earp shooting another Earp?” Willa asked.  “Hello, Wynonna.”

“That’s not exactly what I meant…” Waverly muttered.

Wynonna looked up from Waverly with a steely glare.  “Willa.”  Her voice didn’t match her look.  She looked beyond pissed that Waverly had been hurt, but there was pain in her voice for Willa.  She didn’t want to give up hope that Willa could be saved, despite knowing what she came there to do.

“Wynonna Earp.”  Bobo grinned.  Wynonna hated how he said her name.  “The guest of honor.”

“You wanted me dead or alive, right?” Wynonna called.  “If it’s all the same to you, I think I’d rather stay alive.”

“I don’t care what you want,” Bobo said.  “I’ve wanted for decades to leave this damn triangle.  And now I can, and you’re going to watch me.”

“What, do you want me to take commemorative pictures, too?” Wynonna called.  She turned to Waverly and again and looked her over.  “Are you alright?”

Waverly nodded.  “You have a plan?”

Wynonna didn’t nod, she didn’t shake her head.  She just looked at Waverly with an expression of so much pain.  “I’m so sorry, babygirl.”

“What?”

Wynonna kissed Waverly’s head then started walking toward Bobo.

“Wynonna, no,” Waverly breathed.  She turned toward Dolls and saw that he wouldn’t look at her.  He just stared forward, eyes on Wynonna, his jaw clenched.

“I think you’re missing some friends, right?” Wynonna called to Bobo.  “Hate for you to cross the line alone.  It can get lonely out there in the big wide world.”

“You’d know, right?” Bobo shot back.  “After all these years, I’m finally getting out.  There’s no way I’m going alone.  My boys are coming, we’re going to raise hell all over the world.  Your sister here is coming.”

Bobo put an arm around Willa’s waist and Wynonna felt sick.  Waverly felt enraged.

“And you’re coming, Wynonna,” Bobo said.  “We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

“You definitely do,” Wynonna said.  “What are you doing to do when you get to the other side?  Buy a new coat, hopefully?”

Meanwhile, Dolls was moving toward Waverly, his gun still pointed at Bobo.

“That’s cute,” Bobo said.  “Let’s see how many jokes you’re making when I get across the line.”

Wynonna scoffed.  “You’re not getting across the line.”

Bobo laughed.  “What, these three are going to stop me?”  With another hand motion, the guns in Dolls’ and Nicole’s hands flew several yards from them.  “Come on now, you should know better than that."

Dolls put his hands up but still moved toward Waverly.

“Dolls, you better have a plan to get her out of this.”

“There is a plan,” Dolls said.  “Is your car okay?  I saw the tire’s shot out but there are squad cars a couple miles south, waiting for you.  You can make it that far?”

“Dolls, I am not going anywhere-.”

“I know,” Dolls said.  “Not right now.  But there will be a moment when it will be very clear that you and Officer Haught need to get the hell out of here.  Is your car alright?”

“I’m not going anywhere!” Waverly was still speaking in a hushed tone, like Dolls, but that one was a bit more forceful.

“If shit goes sideways, you can not be here,” Dolls said.  Waverly looked at him, still defiant but growing worried at how adamant he was.  She was starting to understand the reality of the plan they had.  “If shit goes sideways, we need to make sure there’s an heir.  So, you need to leave.”

Waverly’s jaw clenched.  “Wynonna’s going to make it out of this.”

Dolls smiled softly.  “Yes.”  They both could tell he wasn’t sure, but he went to walk away.

“No,” Waverly said, grabbing his arm.  He looked at her.  “Wynonna is making it out of this.  We’re not losing her again.”

Dolls nodded.  There was something in his eye, the way he looked at Waverly.  He could tell she was up to something.  He couldn’t tell if he should stop her.  “Wynonna will make it out of this.”  He sounded like he meant it this time, so Waverly let him go.

“Willa, please,” Wynonna said, getting closer to Willa.

Dolls crossed behind the car to go fill Nicole in on the plan, and Waverly was sure he was telling her the part of it she didn’t want to hear.  So, she started moving forward, hands up, while they were both distracted.

“Please, come with me,” Wynonna continued.  “I know you remember us.  Please, come back with us.  Don’t do this.”

“I remember you?” Willa asked.  “I remember you shooting Daddy.  I remember Waverly hating me.  I remember Daddy drinking all the time and when he wasn’t drinking, training me until I was shooting revenants in my sleep.  I remember Mom leaving.  I remember all of you stopped looking for me.  That is what you are to me.”

“Please,” Wynonna said.  She heard cars approaching and could tell that trucks of revenants were coming, based on their frenzied screams that carried over the field.  She was running out of time.  Her heart was pounding.  She didn’t take her eyes of Willa, but Willa and Bobo both looked behind her.  Willa looked perplexed and annoyed, Bobo looked amused.

“Please don’t do this, Willa.  You can come back with us.  It can be okay.  We can make you better, we can help you remember the good things.  We can do good things.”

Willa shook her head.  “No,” she said.  “I choose Bobo.”

“Please,” Wynonna said.  Her eyes were full of tears, and Waverly could hear her voice crack.  She was desperate and torn.  “Willa, please.”

Bobo laughed.  “We’ve gotten to the begging portion of the evening early.  Boy, am I going to love hearing you beg for your life.”  He looked past Wynonna.  “You too, Waverly.  Thanks for joining us.”

Wynonna turned and saw Waverly just feet behind her.  She was mentally kicking herself for not noticing her approach and also cursing Dolls and Nicole for not keeping her back there.  “Waverly, no.”

“Leave Wynonna,” Waverly said.  “Take me.  If you want an Earp, take me.”

“Why shouldn’t I take both of you?” Bobo asked.  “I’ll have all three Earps, I can end the Earp line.  But not before we all have a little fun, of course.”

Waverly swallowed back the feeling of disgust rising in her throat.  She knew Bobo meant to torture her and Wynonna.  She knew she was doing what she had to do.

“Willa, come with us,” she said, giving her sister one last chance.  Her voice was calm.  She meant what she said but she still sounded empty.  “Please.  You have Peacemaker, we can get out of this and finish what Wyatt started.  Please come with us.”

“No,” Willa said simply.  “I choose Bobo.  And apparently you do, too.”

“Waverly you shouldn’t be here,” Wynonna said, tears falling down her cheeks unstopped.  “You were safe back there, you shouldn’t be here.”

“I know,” Waverly said.  She eyed Bobo cautiously, letting him know that she was moving.  She wrapped her arms around Wynonna.  “I’m sorry.  I love you.”

Wynonna let herself fall into the hug.  She held Waverly tight, not wanting to feel anything but the safety of her little sister’s arms.  Everything had gone to shit and as much as she desperately wanted to protect Waverly and save Willa, those were starting to feel like lost causes.  She was so tired of fighting and hurting and losing.  Having Waverly there helped.  She was so deep in the darkness that she didn’t have to let herself feel the sense of failure that came with Waverly being in all this danger, too.  She felt better that Waverly was there, knowing somehow it would all be over soon.

Then she felt Waverly’s hand in her jacket pocket, then felt her pocket become very light.

“Waverly…”

Wynonna barely had time to speak that full word before Waverly had pulled the trigger, sending a bullet into Willa’s heart.  She shot a few times at Bobo to slow him down, all the while moving toward Willa.  She took Peacemaker from Willa and tossed it at a stunned Wynonna.

“Wynonna, do it.”  Again, her voice was empty.

Wynonna was in shock.  She was blinking back tears, switching between staring at Waverly standing over Willa’s body and Peacemaker now in her own hands.  She was in such a state of shock that she thought maybe if she blinked enough, she’d see whatever was actually happening because what she was seeing was sure as hell not real.

“Wynonna!” Waverly yelled.

Wynonna snapped back to reality and shot Bobo Del Rey in the head.  Her eyes were fixed on the spot where Bobo was sucked with hellfire back where he belonged, but she wasn’t actually seeing anything.  Peacemaker fell from her hand and she staggered backwards.

Waverly stood still as a statue.  She didn’t move, she didn’t cry.  She just stared at Willa.

Dolls pulled up in his car and Nicole pulled up right next to him in Waverly’s Jeep.

“What the hell happened?” Dolls asked, running out of the truck, gun drawn.

Nicole rushed to Waverly’s side.  She quickly checked on Willa, checking for a pulse but knowing that it was useless.  Waverly had shot her in the heart at point-blank range.  She had died instantly, otherwise Wynonna wouldn’t have been able to use Peacemaker.

She went back to Waverly and took the gun from her hands.

“Waverly…”  She wrapped her arms around her and Waverly finally broke down.  She cried out and she cried and she sobbed and let out everything she’d been trying to keep under control.

Wynonna heard Waverly and that was enough to break her.

“Wynonna,” Dolls began, putting his hands on her shoulders, wanting to comfort her.  “I’m so sorry…”

“You should be,” Wynonna said, smacking his chest.  Dolls took a step back and looked shocked.  “How could you let her go?  How could you let her come up here?  Look at what she did!”

“Wynonna…”  He sounded betrayed and confused.

Wynonna was about to respond when the sound of an explosion cut her off.  She knew it was Doc, setting off dynamite in the path of the other revenants.  She did not care, though.

Nicole looked over at where the dynamite went off and looked back at Waverly.  “Baby, we’ve got to go.”

She herded Waverly into her car and drove off.

**-WE-**

The rest of the day was a blur to Waverly.  Nicole took her back to where the squad cars were and got Waverly some medical attention for her arm.  They wrapped it up, said it needed stitches, but Waverly refused.  Nicole vouched for her, saying she’d be fine.  She knew that a hospital full of people eager to gawk at an Earp was the last place Waverly wanted to be.  If it came to it, Nicole could give Waverly stitches herself.  Waverly was done sobbing, mostly because she was just exhausted.  She sat there with a blank expression, feeling absolutely nothing.  She felt hollow and empty.

Nicole took her squad car and gave Waverly’s keys to Nedley.  He’d promised to get it fixed up.

Nicole wasn’t sure about bringing Waverly back to the homestead.  She thought maybe it’d be better to bring Waverly to her apartment, but she knew she wouldn’t be comfortable there, either.  So, she took Waverly to the homestead.  Honestly, Nicole was scared to be alone with her.  Waverly was so, so broken.  She wasn’t sure she knew how to help her.

Doc, Dolls, and Wynonna were at the homestead when they got there.  Nicole got out of the car and met Dolls, who approached her.

“Wynonna is in the back of my car with Willa,” he said.  “How’s Waverly?”

Nicole wiped the tear that threatened to come out of her eye.  She shook her head and shrugged.  “She shot her sister.  I have no idea.”

“You’re good for her.”

Nicole looked at him.  “You too.”

Dolls took a moment then nodded.  He gestured toward the car.  “She’s on the far side.”

Nicole nodded.  She managed to get Waverly out of the car and point her in the direction of Wynonna.  The door was open and Waverly went and saw Wynonna sat inside the car, Willa’s head on her lap.  Waverly put a hand on Willa’s cheek, knowing full well what she had done but having trouble believing it and coming to terms with it in the moment.

Wynonna put her hand over Waverly’s but didn’t look at her.  Waverly put her head on Wynonna’s shoulder and cried.

**-WE-**

“This isn’t your fault,” Dolls said, handing Wynonna a mug full of her favorite whiskey as he joined her on the porch.  Nicole was sitting in a corner of the porch, watching Waverly.  Doc had taken the car behind the barn, so Wynonna and Waverly couldn’t see it, and was washing it out.

Wynonna looked at him for a moment then looked away.  She took a big gulp.  “It’s not yours, either.”

“Still, I’m sorry,” he said.  “You deserve better.  You all do.”

Wynonna nodded.  “Yeah.”  She took the mug in his hand and headed over to the grave that Doc and Dolls had dug for Willa.

Waverly sat cross legged at the end of the grave, playing with the grass intermittently.  She didn’t look up when Wynonna sat next to her.  They’d buried Willa earlier, they’d said their goodbyes.  But they both knew that a goodbye wasn’t a one-time thing, especially not when you’re the one who caused it.

Wynonna cleared her throat.  “Thought you could use a drink.”

“I don’t want to drink.”

Wynonna nodded and put the mug on the ground next to Waverly anyway.

After a moment, Waverly muttered "screw it" to herself and drank about half the cup.  She exhaled deeply as she put the cup down.

“Wow,” Wynonna said.  “I know I’m not really in a position to judge anyone else’s drinking habits but _wow_.”

Waverly gave her a sideways glance and a disgusted look.  “You’ve got shit taste in whiskey.”

“Clearly,” Wynonna said.  She picked at the grass.  “You didn’t have to do this.”

Waverly picked at the grass, too.  “You shouldn’t have to, either.”

“What, this is you deciding to pull your weight on the shooting-our-own-family front?”

Waverly looked up.  “Yes, actually.  I know I’m not the heir but I’m a part of this.  I want to protect you just as much as you want to protect me.”

Wynonna exhaled.  She didn’t want to snap at Waverly.  She knew she was pissed that Waverly did this, that Waverly put herself in a position to be in so much pain.  But she knew deep down somewhere, since the moment Waverly pulled that trigger, that she grateful.  She was relieved that Waverly had made this decision for her.

“Willa was your best friend,” Waverly said.  “She was the person you were closest in our family.  This had to be done, but it didn’t have to be you to do it.”

“Thank you.”  Wynonna spoke quietly and after a period of silence.  She put her head and Waverly shoulder and Waverly put her arm around Wynonna.  Things were so, so wrong and awful but they had each other at the end of the day, tumultuous and painful as their lives may be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So shoutout to CommanderGay for talking about how interesting it would be if it was Waverly and not Wynonna to kill Willa! So, I wrote that. Please let me know what you think! I obviously think that Waverly would kill Willa for Wynonna once she realized that was Wynonna's plan, since 1) Waverly is dying to get involved, tbh and 2) I think Waverly would want to save Wynonna some pain if she could.
> 
> So, yeah! Let me know what you think, please!

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from a song in the musical "Spring Awakening." It's good, but maybe read up on the show before listening to the songs because they definitely deal with sensitive/potentially triggering material.
> 
> I've been saying for weeks that the season will end with Wynonna having to kill Willa in order to become the heir again. So, that's what I've written. Also, I love that Waverly calls Wynonna brave because she calls her a coward in the pilot and also that she tells Wynonna she loves her because she hardcore avoids doing that in episode four. So that's kind of what I was trying to get at with this.
> 
> So, let me know what you guys think please!


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